Sarn Helen

"...These mountains and valleys, like the rock on which they are founded, are of old stock and even though there may be little record to tell of the ancient people who passed this way, the very landscape shouts it out."
(The Secret and Sacred Beacons by Brian S. Griffiths)

Walking in the footsteps of the all conquering Romans is to sense the history of the hardship that must have been suffered to construct the 160 miles of this highway, which connects Aberconwy in the north to Carmarthen in the South. This particular section of Sarn Helen starts just north-west of Ystraffellte and runs northwards beneath Fan Frynych en route to the Roman fort of ‘Y Gaer’ in Brecon.

History now tells us that the Roman conquest of Wales began circa AD 50 and within half a century most of the "strategic" land, including coastal stretches and lowlands, were under Roman rule, a situation which lasted until AD 400 in spite of continual skirmishes with the feisty Celtic tribesmen.



Just as you join this section of Sarn Helen the OS map identifies the site of a Roman Fort although no physical evidence of this appears to remain visible. After about half a mile the surface shows signs of the original road laid by Roman engineers over two millennia ago. With sophisticated drainage channels built into the road, the outlines of the sandstone slabs remain clearly visible.

After only a mile and a half a stone monolith, Maen Madoc, stands proudly alongside the road over eight feet high. The following Latin words are engraved on its side edge:

"DERVAC FILIUS IUST HIC IACIT"
Which is translated to: "DERVACUS, SON OF JUSTUS. HERE HE LIES."

Like the stone at Gelligaer Common, it is thought to mark a Christian burial (roadside graves being a feature of Roman burials). It is also not that far from the Maen Llia stone which lies about a mile to the north (We visited this a few months ago).

Though the stone is named after a Madog it is not clear who Madog was. One theory is that he was a local landowner. The base of the standing stone is surrounded by deeply embedded stones although previous excavation failed to reveal any sign of a burial.



Fan Nedd and Fan Llia provide a stunning backdrop as the walk passed Coed-Y-Garreg Farm. Leaving Sarn Helen at Duffryn Nedd the path starts quite well defined but soon disappears and this section of the walk did not appear to be used very often.



After a scramble through thick undergrowth you climb a stile and return to a path that leads south to eventually join a ‘C’ road by which you return to Ystraffellte, passing the New Inn which unfortunately was closed by late afternoon.



Near the end of the walk I met a very polite group of teenagers who had been hiking and camping in this region of the Welsh hills for the last few days as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, soon afterwards the radio commentary confirmed that Eoin Morgan had scored the maiden century of his Test career against Pakistan in the First Test Match at Trent Bridge.

All of the photographs taken on this walk can be viewed here. Select 'slideshow' for automated viewing.

Caption Contest

"I told you the compass we were using was a stranger to the truth and we are now offically lost...."

....or does anyone have a funnier caption? Post your suggestions via the comments link below.

A free drink on our next walk for the winner.

Livestrong

At the age of 39, seven times Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong appeared on the podium in Paris for the last time at a Grand Tour event with his winning Radio Shack team after Stage 20 of the 2010 event.

Although British rider Mark Cavendish easily won the sprint to secure the final stage, it wasn’t enough to win him the coveted Green Jersey on the Champs-Elysees.

After their recent victory in the World Cup against Holland and Rafael Nadal’s win at Wimbledon, another Spanish conquistador Alberto Contador secured a hat-trick of triumphs for his mother-country as he finally extinguished Andy Schleck’s brave attempt to win his first Grand Tour title in the time-trial from Bordeaux to the vineyards of the Medoc region.

After 3,500 kms, from the low-lands of Belgium through the mountains of the Alps and Pyrenees and finally into Paris, only 39 seconds finally separated the two iron-men of cycling.

Oh La La!!

Continuing the Tour De France theme.........!!

With the yellow jesery (Leader in the GC) on the left, polka dot jersey (King of the Mountains) in the middle and green jersey (Overall Points) on the right, this is a very subtle advertising campaign that has been banned in Belgium!

Pyrenees

The sheer brutal nature of first the Alps and then the Pyrenees, defines the Tour De France as the ultimate road race. As the peloton climbed the Col Du Tourmalet at 2,115 metres above sea level before thousands of spectators that packed the narrow fearsome climb to the top, the seven times winner, Lance Armstrong (who also appeared in the last blog posting!) makes his final ascent of the mountains in a tour event he first won in 1999.

A banner on the lower slopes of the Port de Pailheres earlier this week read 'Welcome to hell'.

This years tour celebrates one hundred years since the Pyrenees were added to the itinerary in 1910, when the same four climbs were used to mark the occasion. However, in 1910 the riders set out at 3.00am (yes, in the early hours of the morning!). The final rider completing the stage 22 hours later and the previous year's tour winner famously yelled 'Assassins!' to the race organisers as he crossed the top of the final summit.



Today the roads are paved better (in 1910 the riders used goat tracks in the mountain stages), the bikes are incomparably superior and the riders are allowed the luxury of a fleet of support vehicles. Back in 1910 the riders were expected to repair their bikes en route!

Although there are 172 riders still left in the race (from an original field of 198) realistically only two individuals will battle for the yellow jersey in Paris on Sunday - Andy Schleck and a previous race winner Alberto Contador. After 15 stages and 75 hours of road racing they are separated by only 8 seconds. The final time trial in Bordeaux may ultimately decide the winner.

Monte Bollettora

A violent thunderstorm which started just as the period of extra time in the World Cup Final came to an end, which was clinched by a single Iniesta goal for Spain (watched out-doors in a local piazza on a large screen on a balmy summers evening!), cleared the hazy visibility and humid atmosphere overnight for the second planned walk on this visit to the Lombardy region of Northern Italy.

La Dorsale Del Triangolo Lariano stretches out at an average height of 1,200 metres following the mountain ridge that crosses from south to north of the Lariano triangle area with Bellagio at the northern point.



Constructed in 1894, the 10 minute funicular ride from the lakeside climbed almost vertically three hundred metres on the initial stage of the walk, a satisfactory way to start the tough ascent that links Como with the village of Brunate at 715 metres. A Japanese tourist sitting opposite on the journey upwards asked in broken English whether it was possible to take photographs of the lake at the top!

Leaving the funicular station in Brunate the trail starts to the left of the church, where the climb to San Maurizio began on the cobbled path. The ascent was steep and continued until it reached the village of San Maurizio at 906 metres.

A short de-tour was made to the Faro Voltiano (Volta Lighthouse) which was built in 1927 to celebrate the centenary of the death of Alessandro Volta, the eminent scientist who was born in Como, who invented the battery and after who the electric volt was named.



The views of the lake from the lighthouse were spectacular, including Cernobbio on the opposite shore of the lake where Lance Armstrong and the Motorola team were based a few years ago while training in the Lombardy region.



Returning to the village square of San Maurizio the path continues upwards into the woodlands towards Monte Bolletto. This particular section of the trail ends up at the side of the small church S. Rita on the square of Pizzale C.A.O. After walking across the village square the intersection to the left leads past Rifugio C.A.O. at 980 metres. The cart track continues through the woodland to reach Baita Carla at 997 metres where a very basic lunch was taken in the cool mountain shade.



Half a mile past Baita Carla the intention was to pick up Trail #15 down towards Torno, back at the lake side via Monte Piatto, but it soon became difficult to negotiate the overgrown conditions on this trail and it made sense to quickly turn back to the original route on Trail #1.



This change of plan saw the walk continue along the original cart track on the slopes of Pizzo Temini where this gorgeous butterfly floated into view. Eventually reaching Biata Bondella at 1075 metres where I decided to terminate the walk and take the linear route back to Brunate.

The temperature in late afternoon when I returned to the village square was 30 degrees centigrade!

Bellagio

On the approach to Bellagio by ferry the whole village is laid out before you nestling at the 'point of the Lariano triangle' of Lake Como. The poet Shelley claimed Bellagio to be 'the pearl of the lake' and one of the loveliest towns in Europe. While Wordsworth described the area as 'a treasure that the earth keeps to itself'. The landscape also inspired music composed by Verdi, Rossini and Bellini.

But there is another element to Bellagio beyond the lake front tourist trap that I decided to try to discover.



Leaving the centrally located Piazza Mazzini directly opposite the pier, you reach the upper part of the town by climbing the steep steps of the narrow street - Salita Melia. The typical European architecture of the tight knit maze leads to the busy Via Garibaldi until I found the local Town Hall located next to the small Eleventh Century Romanesque church of San Giorgio.



On the opposite side of the road was a flight of steps that climbed up and then led down into the picturesque fishing village of Pescallo on the eastern shore of the promontory. The march of time elsewhere can rush into another millennia without anyone noticing or anything changing in this ideal setting!



Crossing the village square I sat on a bench to admire the magnificent surroundings framed by the steep sided mountain range of the Gringa (at 2,409 metres) in the background.



Leaving this idyllic fishing village the climb took me past a large nursery and olive grove that appears crucial to the local economy. Arriving at the main road for Lecco I enter Oliverio, a village which has taken it's name from the olive trees. This is actually the furthest northern most point in Europe in which olive oil is produced.



Arriving at the Villa Giulia, originally built in 1624, a grassy avenue called 'Vialone' stretches to the western bank of the lake allowing everyone to see both banks simultaneously. This long 'overgrown' geometrically aligned autobahnesque straight avenue was three-quarters of a mile long and about 30-yards wide with a single file footpath.



At the western end of the Vialone I came across an avenue of Cypress trees that perfectly framed the lake view. Passing the Villa Melzi on the lake shore you return to Bellagio along a colourfully cultivated parkland promenade.



I saw more lizards than people on the walk, which was a shame!!

Local Reservoirs

With the driest start to the year since 1929 (January to June 2010 has been the second driest for 100 years) and a distinct lack of precipitation over the last eight weeks (nationally only 68% of average rainfall) water levels on all of the local reservoirs are really low.

Just over 14 weeks ago the reservoirs were gripped in a deep freeze with large area's of the surface frozen solid but one of the driest periods in the last eighty years has seen a remarkable transformation to the visual landscape.

I set off along the Beacons Way in the direction of Llwyn On (also known locally as First Res.) to discover that the water level on the dam had dramatically dropped by approximately 20 feet.



Constructed in 1926 to supply the inhabitants of Cardiff, it has a capacity of 1,260 million gallons. If the current drought continues the remains of Ponty Daf Bridge, which normally remains hidden below the surface, will soon be visible. Welsh Water are satisfied with the current average capacity of 72% and do not anticipate any water restrictions until the Autumn.



The next stop was at Cantref Reservoir (which is known locally as Second Res!!) where the exposed earth banks were starting to crack as they dried out.



These butterfly's were in their natural habitat near the Nant Crew Bridge at the northern end of the Cantref Reservoir.



Probably the worst affected locally was Dolygaer Reservoir, which covers about 40 acres and has an average depth of 18 feet. With such low water levels the Environment Agency Wales has rescued hundreds of fish nationally due to the exceptional drought conditions.



While I was at Dolygaer this Heron was able to wade near the middle of the rapidly diminishing expanse of water in search of it's next meal! it's surprising how nature is able to adapt to the extreme conditions.



All of the photographs taken on this walk can be viewed here. Select 'slideshow' for automated viewing.

Llangoed Hall

"This guest of summer,
The temple-haunting martlet, does approve
By his loved mansionry that the heaven's breath
Smells wooingly here. No jutty, frieze,
Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird
Hath made his pendant bed and procreant cradle;
Where they most breed and haunt, I have observed
The air is delicate."
(Macbeth, Act I, scene VI)



This particular amazing encounter took place in Mid-Wales. I noticed the adult House Martins feeding their young in the nest constructed beneath the eaves to the rear of the house (that is just below the rain water hopper head above the drain pipe in the picture). They were catching air-bourne insects to feed the chicks and as one adult returned to the nest with a beak full of insects the other adult left the nest to catch more.



On leaving through the front main entrance five House Martins swooped in and out of the porch, resting on the internal ledges and then almost hoovering at the doorway of the porch before deciding to dive in and fly gracefully around the interior.



It was an incredible experience to be so close to this magnificent bird in flight.

The Common House Martin (Delichon urbicum), sometimes called the Northern House Martin or, particularly in Europe, just House Martin, is a migratory bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia.



The Common House Martin was originally a cliff and cave nester, and some cliff-nesting colonies still exist, with the nests built below an overhanging rock. It now largely uses human structures such as bridges and houses. Unlike the Barn Swallow, it uses the outside of inhabited buildings, rather than the inside of barns or stables. The nests are built at the junction of a vertical surface and an overhang, such as on house eaves, so that they may be strengthened by attachment to both planes.



The nest is a neat closed convex cup fixed below a suitable ledge, with a narrow opening at the top. It is constructed by both sexes with mud pellets collected in their beaks, and lined with grasses, hair or other soft materials. The mud, added in successive layers, is collected from ponds, streams or puddles

Once established, pairs remain together to breed for life; however, extra-pair copulations are common, making this species genetically polygamous, despite being socially monogamous.